Hurricane Katrina

Originally posted by Fakin Bacon
The information post is from a woman I know on a dog breed mailing list that I'm a member of. I've never known her to be rash or to make up crazy stories for the heck of it...which made me stop and wonder and really think about what she e-mailed to all of her friends...let's hope that it's not really true. If this thing is true about the prison problem and the officers dying, not to mention the body bag count, why isn't the media telling us the information?

I have been in web contact with people who are contacting folks in SE LA by text message. The story that I got is second or third hand and should be regulated to rumor.

The story is this: Homland Security is asking (?) the media to refrain from airing videos showing the numerous dead bodies floating in the streets of NO. No reporting on the prison problems. They are afraid of creating a panic. No information like this is supposed to be reported until after the situation is under control. Later in the week you may hear a report of how many hundreds or thousands of bodies were recovered or that there was a problem in the prison.

I cannot verify the accuracy of this story, but it was not the first time I had heard it. I have been hearing all day of the multitude of bodies being pushed out of the way so that rescuers could get at the survivors. They have no place to put the dead bodies right now. Metarie is one of the places with floaters that the tv did report on but no pictures. I had also heard that there was trouble at the prison. I didn't even know there was a prison in NO.

I apologize if this has already been posted: To be frank, I skipped over several posts when the thread turned into one of those arguments over insurance money, politics, and claims about how global warming caused this (did global warming encourage the French to build a coastal city below sea level a few centuries ago?)... but, even if it has already been brought up, I think it needs to be brought up anew as it's a major point of this story..

...Basically, the mayor is now saying that the attempts to patch one of the main levee breaks have failed and that related pumps have gone down, too. This is the equivalent of saying that the city is lost:

www.nola.com.../mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_08.html#075236

"Mayor Ray Nagin has announced that the attempt to plug a breach in the
17th Street canal at the Hammond Highway bridge has failed and the
rising water is about to overwhelm the pumps on that canal.
The result is that water will begin rising rapidly again, and could
reach as high as 3 feet above sea level. In New Orleans and Jefferson
Parish, that means floodwaters could rise as high as 15 feet in the next
few hours.
Nagin urged residents to try to find higher ground as soon as possible."


[edit on 30-8-2005 by onlyinmydreams]

Originally posted by onlyinmydreams
In New Orleans and Jefferson
Parish, that means floodwaters could rise as high as 15 feet in the next
few hours.
Nagin urged residents to try to find higher ground as soon as possible."

I've been asking myself as word got out about this second surge...Are they talking about an additional 15 feet...or up to 15 feet....b/c various sources are saying that certain parts of NO are up to 20-25 feet....

So it has the potential to reach 40!?!?!

I'm really hoping someone steps in here and says I'm a lunatic or something for suggesting that idea.....Cuz that's just........no adequate words come to mind....

I agree Surrealist. People have got to eat and take care of themselves. Sometimes there is a right time to "loot and steal" from a store in order to survive. Sometimes there may be no other choice.

Take the loaf of bread or starve, what would you do?

Troy

The Mayor said on WWL that any dry area would have water tonight and tomorrow. The Garden District would have up to 9 feet of water. He also said that people who had another evacuation or shelter option should choose it instead of going to the Superdome.


WESH-TV: Parts of New Orleans are under 20-feet of water


a state official was quoted in 2004 saying that the levee repair budget was reassigned by the Federal goverment for the war in Iraq.


I heard a woman on MSNBC who is hiding in her attic because some of these "shoulda been aborted" assholes broke into a sporting goods store and took guns and ammo to terrorize the homes around them.

**********************************************

I took the above quotes from another site that I frequent - a gossip site
that does have interesting debates/info from time to time. Take it for what it's worth.

~A

Originally posted by cybertroy
I agree Surrealist. People have got to eat and take care of themselves. Sometimes there is a right time to "loot and steal" from a store in order to survive. Sometimes there may be no other choice.

Take the loaf of bread or starve, what would you do?

Troy

Most of the looters are stealing non-survival related material. Many have been caught floating garbage cans filled with art, TVs, jewels, etc down the streets. They are not fighting for their lives... they are stealing. In fact, many have stated that this is their chance to "get back at society."

The bottom line is that there are people who can only be described as stupid predators out there... people who do not care about helping their neighbors or upholding the rule of law.

The sad reality is, many of these looters who are oblivious to the human grief that surrounds them will be some of the very same people who will be reaching their hands up to the skies for help when the waters continue to rise and they're forced to abandon their ill-gotten gains....

All unbeknownst to these heroes, out there saving both the lives of the crooks and the innocent…

Material stealing is an adiction and an attachment and think that it the last thing they should be doing, but I think someone said they sah a woman with her infant and dipers, that Im sure she didnt buy. The millitary wont bring everything.

Originally posted by EnronOutrunHomerun
The sad reality is, many of these looters who are oblivious to the human grief that surrounds them will be some of the very same people who will be reaching their hands up to the skies for help when the waters continue to rise and they're forced to abandon their ill-gotten gains....

All unbeknownst to these heroes, out there saving both the lives of the crooks and the innocent…

You find who people truly are in such desperate situations.
The great test,

Fox News just announced breaking news about a prison uprising in New Orleans - unconfirmed reports of a deputy, his wife and 4 kids taken hostage by inmates.

~A

Now, I am watching Fox..
"Numerouse Car Jacking and shooting outside the dome"
Two dead inside the dome.

First: 60,000 body bags
I've been to New Orleans once, one of the things that was pointed out during the bus tour I took was that there is a slight problem with bodies washing out of graves during floods. Seems the water tables were already problematic. So you will have a large number of bodies that are in various states of decay that will need to be bagged and reinterred.

This is not to say that the loss of life is likely to turn out to be on the level of the Galveston hurricane by its end. I'm not optimistic because this hit across several cities - major metropolises all. There is no way to know the fatality rate until after they go through the rubble.

Second: SuperDome Refugees
Ok, everyone on this list knows about the acres - and I do mean acres - of trailer parks that the US built and maintains for the express purpose of evacuation. Hello? Is this country really run by moronic idiots with an IQ lesser than a tapeworm? (Don't answer that.) Also, with major troop mobilisation, military housing at various places may be available. In Michigan, for instance, I'm sure that not all the old military housing in Oscoda is being used.

The hospital in Oscoda is only partially closed - evacuated medical personnel and folks could be airlifted to 'closed' and partially open hospitals. The infrastructure is already in place. It may take a day or two to get up and running to full capacity but it can be done. Wouldn't it be nice if those in charge had a brain?

Third: Disease Potential
Let's see, we now have several world-wide disasters to recover from involving water + new variants on both bird and pig diseases that can jump to humans = pandemic. Cholera is a disease that is likely to be seen considering the habitations and conditions of the Superdome and the fact that sewage is backing up. Pollution is going to be gawdawful so tuberculosis is likely. And I won't even get into the parasites that are liable to be seen but misdiagnosed because American doctors have never seen them. (If you can find a doc older than 50 see that person because they will be more familiar with those diseases.)

Fourth: Wild Animals
Snakes + Gators + Insects + Parasites. Do I really need to go any further? Oh yeah, RATS. Three of those are major disease vectors.

Fifth: Prisoner Riots in Cut-off Areas.
VERY LIKELY. If you put together an already antisocial group and then cut off even their basic needs with the basic needs, you are going to breed a situation of unrest. Add to that the tension brought about by having a hurricane and the distraction of prison personnel bringing their families(!) to the prison and you are just asking for a disaster. The thing is, in this type of situation, news is going to be hard to come by. Even in the best of circumstances the news is going to be hard to come by.

Sixth: Culture Affects
I come from an old southern family so I'm gonna say it: Southerners are crazy as bedbugs when it comes to protecting their property. They aren't gonna care if it is under 15 foot of water - that is theirs and they aren't gonna let anyone take it - least of all the government. Now the transplants mitigate that to some degree, but that is a strong theme in the culture - and I would imagine a place as diverse as New Orleans would have that in spades. Also, if I recall correctly, there isn't a good school system in parts of New Orleans. I don't know how Catholic the city is these days, but if the Parish priest didn't tell folks to go, they weren't going in some cases.

Seventh: This is NOT Yet the Worst Case
The worst case happens when right as this is happening the New Madrid Fault starts to act up. Or, the Canary Island's Tsunami decides to come in. Or, another tropical depression comes in right on top of this one. It can get much worse than it is. People are being rescued. People are going to be ok - some people aren't going to be ok - unfortunately, natural disaster is like that. (Yes, I can think of a dozen other scenarios, but the only thing to do is to rebuild from this.)

Eighth: Looting
The looting is expected after a natural disaster. Some will do it for survival, most will do it because they think they can. Most folks won't indulge in such behavior. I am, however, struck by the fact that during the last blackout there was minimal looting and mostly people trying to help one another out - I saw this first hand and I live in Metro Detroit. Metro Detroit is not an area usually thought to have much altruism by outsiders. Of course, this could be because we could just escape North to where there was power.

Conclusion:
I don't know what happens next. No one does. Hopefully, God will bless those who are still alive and trying to help one another. Hopefully this post is not too rambling as I'm falling asleep as I'm writing this. I am going to pray for Mizar and everyone else who found themselves in New Orleans, Biloxi, Miami, and all the places affected. Remember, the rebuilding will take years.

God Bless!

All it would take is control of one large city or area by lawless people, or maybe in this case a large group of inmates all working together, to start a huge mass of riots and possible civil war in a state or many. I'm thinking the aftermath of this storm is going to have much larger effects.

I'm also thinking this is why Fox, MSNBC, CNN, are cutting down on NO coverage right now. Think about it, the fact is, NO is in anarchy right now, they can't control it, and they have now stoped reporting on events that are happening on the moment. There are people sleeping on the interstate right now, they could be there talking to people. The fact is, they could be doing arial coverage of the city live right now. Why are no stations doing this??? Instead they keep showing what theyve been showing all day, and they keep talking about the economic impact. It almost seems like they are working together or under a sort of control to keep this whole situation media coverage toned down.

They allso could have stopped reporting because it is dark. Your right, the dark is the best time to start a war, and they may.

[edit on 31/8/05 by The Surrealist]

Wait I take it back, Fox is live at NO tonight right now, I'm not hearing gun shots in the back ground so I don't think its that bad atm.

Originally posted by SpilledBeans
I'm also thinking this is why Fox, MSNBC, CNN, are cutting down on NO coverage right now. Think about it, the fact is, NO is in anarchy right now, they can't control it, and they have now stoped reporting on events that are happening on the moment. There are people sleeping on the interstate right now, they could be there talking to people. The fact is, they could be doing arial coverage of the city live right now. Why are no stations doing this??? Instead they keep showing what theyve been showing all day, and they keep talking about the economic impact. It almost seems like they are working together or under a sort of control to keep this whole situation media coverage toned down.

I have left a text message, e-mail, and a voice mail with my Grandmother (works for Red Cross/FEMA). I would expect, by now, that she is working pretty hard. I should talk to her tomorrow morning. I will see what she knows, and see if I can confirm anything. If anyone would know, if something like this was going on, she will.





[edit on 31-8-2005 by Imperium Americana]

Originally posted by SpilledBeans
Wait I take it back, Fox is live at NO tonight right now, I'm not hearing gun shots in the back ground so I don't think its that bad atm.

I was gonna say, I sah 2am reports on CNN

I am going to be sick. I just thought of something. What is it going to look like when the water is all gone? Bodies littered on the streets? I don't even want to think about how many people died, because I can't handle the thought.

Like someone stated earlier this is going to be nearly as devistating as the Asian Tsumani.

I am praying for everyone who is affected by this, and surely by the grace of God there will be no more death.

I would just like to express my sorrow to all the unfortunate people who have been affected by the awful damage and destruction caused by the hurricane in the southern states of the USA.

I watched the news last night and was quite shocked to see the amount of destruction it has caused. It looked like a few nukes had gone off.
I live in the UK and it goes without saying that you ( our American friends) have total support (If only moral) for your speedy return to normality.
God Bless you all.

Some of these aren't just wild stories....

This is from CNN...

www.cnn.com...

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- As parts of flooded New Orleans slip into chaos and Gulf Coast communities struggle to deal with the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana's governor is declaring Wednesday a day of prayer.

Those survivors are facing dire conditions -- no power, little drinking water, dwindling food supplies, gunfire in the distance -- with no way to get out.

And the waters are still rising, at times dotted by the bodies of those who perished when the hurricane roared into town Monday morning.

The rising flood waters overwhelmed pumping stations that would normally keep the city dry. About 80 percent of the city was flooded with water up to 20 feet deep after the two levees collapsed.

"There are dead bodies floating in some of the water," Nagin said. "The rescuers would basically push them aside as they were trying to save individuals."

Nagin said that as of late Tuesday "a significant amount of water" is flowing into the bowl-shaped city and sections of the city now dry could be under 9 or 10 feet of water within hours.

Thousands of people were being housed in the Louisiana Superdome, where toilets were overflowing and there was no air conditioning to provide relief from 90-degree heat.

Nagin estimated the number of people in the Superdome at between 12,000 and 15,000 people as of late Tuesday. He said they could be there for a week unless evacuated sooner.